Food for thought,
Dustymunky
"Over years of culling queens from aggressive hives and possibly some other unknown mechanisms, the bees are now workable and gentle. DNA tests have been performed and the bees still have african genetics. "
Moe
"This may be a result of the lack of forage during the dry season and because it is an island they cannot leave. If it is true that their lack of aggression is due to the unique environment of Puerto Rico then they may return to aggression if they are moved elsewhere."
Someone else suggested the possibility of Puerto Rican (queens) being exported in the future?
Now folks,
The fact is we simply don't know what the outcome this would be!! Im no biologist but we have raised cows, horses, dogs, etc. We breed for the genetics desired. However, in this case, I am thinking that exporting the Puerto Rican Bee may not, at this time or anytime in the foreseeable future, be a good idea, and may well be another bad mistake!!! The South America "experiment" was bad enough wasn't it? Would It not be much wiser, instead of importing more africanized bees to the southern states which already have the aggressive africanized bee, to simply keep introducing the Italian or ANY other gentle type bee to the hot colonies? I for one, if was in one of these hot area states, would not by any means, ever add more africanized genetics to these already africanized bees. Would it not make much more scene to breed to the most gentle stock possible and add these genetics to the hot hives of the most southern areas of The United States? Hopefully, eventually reaching the same or similar results that have been reached in Puerto Rico? And I certainly would not by any means, introduce these "gentle" africanized Puerto Rican bees to any other State in the US or other part of the world!! My opinion
Thanks, Phillip Hall "Ben Framed"